Caffeine, Wonder Drug

Don’t feel like reading an eighteen-page scientific paper? Here’s the gist of it: Anything you thought your cup of coffee was doing for you, it probably is.

Yes. Coffee. It really does improve alertness, attention, mood, and reaction time, especially when we’re sleep-deprived. It may also enhance physical coordination and endurance. Temporarily, of course.

But not just coffee. I found myself studying the table below, which lists the caffeine content of common beverages, foods and medications.

Who knew: a serving of dark chocolate has the same amount of caffeine as a can of Coke! That’s just two tablespoons of dark (baking) chocolate. That may be my new go-to pick-me-up in the late afternoon.